Brent

Brent's population increased by about 47,800 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 310,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Brent increased by 18.1%, from just over 263,000 to 311,000.

The addition of just under 48,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Brent was home to, on average, 51 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Brent

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Brent decreased by one year, from 33 to 32 years.

This area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 10,000 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years.

About 19.0% of people in Brent are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in home ownership

Brent saw England's second-largest fall in the proportion of households that owned their home.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (42.9%) households in Brent owned their home, compared with 55.1% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 17.9% to 30.1%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of households that owned their home occurred in Slough (from 66.4% to 52.7%).

The rate of home ownership in Brent decreased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of households in Brent, London and England that owned their home, March 2001 and March 2011

Changing relationships in Brent

Brent saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (42.1%) people aged 16 and over in Brent said they were single, compared with 42.8% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married remained close to 43.5%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership occurred in City of London (from 52.0% to 50.8%) followed by Kensington and Chelsea (from 49.3% to 48.2%).

Because of its small size, comparisons to City of London should be made with caution.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Brent

The percentage of Brent residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 5.7% to 5.1% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 3.0%, while the percentage of Brent residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 91.5%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 5.8% in 2001 to 5.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Brent

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Brent was among those who said they were Muslim, rising 6.7 points.

In 2011, 20.0% of respondents in Brent gave this religion on the census compared with 13.3% of those who answered in 2001.

Across London, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as Muslim increased from 9.3% to 13.5%, while across England the percentage went from 3.5% to 5.6%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Newham, 44.6% said they were Christian, compared with 51.7% in 2001. About 19.1% said they were Hindu, compared with 18.6% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and said they had no religion increased from 10.8% to 11.4%.

In Brent, 6.9% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.7% in 2001. In London, 8.5% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population who identified as Muslim in Brent increased by 6.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, London and Brent by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Brent

In 2011, 34.1% of Brent residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 28.8% in 2001.

Across London, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 13.2% to 18.5%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 36.3% of people in Brent said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 45.3% in 2001. About 18.8% said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, compared with 19.9% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Other ethnic groups (Arab or any other ethnic group) increased from 2.3% to 5.8%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Brent increased by 5.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of self-employed people increased in Brent at a faster rate than across England.

In Brent, the proportion of self-employed people increased from 9.0% in 2001 to 12.8% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

Across London, the share of self-employed people increased from 9.0% to 11.7%.

The rate of employment in Brent fell from 47.8% to 46.8%, while the rate of unemployment increased from 5.0% to 5.8%.

The rate of self-employment in Brent increased by 3.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Brent, London and England that said they were self-employed, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Brent residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.6% to 5.3% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (82.9%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 70.0% in 2001. The percentage of Brent residents that described their health as fair decreased from 21.3% to 11.8%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Brent decreased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Brent, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Brent working less than 16 hours increased from 2.3% to 3.9% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 11 (8.9%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 11.3% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 2.0% in 2001 to 3.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Brent increased by 1.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Brent, London and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More homes with children

The percentage of households in Brent with children increased from 33.0% to 34.4% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over one in two (53.9%) households had no children, compared with 56.1% in 2001. The percentage of households in Brent with only adult children living with their parents increased from 11.0% to 11.7%.

The proportion of households with children increased here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 28.9% in 2001 to 30.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 29.5% to 29.2%.

The proportion of households with children was higher than across London

Percentage of households with at least one dependent child across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Living alone in Brent

The percentage of one-person households fell in Brent, but at a slower rate than in Barnet (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Brent).

In Brent, the proportion of one-person households decreased from 29.0% in 2001 to 27.8% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Barnet decreased from 31.3% to 27.9%.

Across London, the share of one-person households decreased from 34.7% to 31.6%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Brent remained close to 5.9%, while the percentage of households with a married couple decreased from 29.2% to 27.9%.

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across London

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Brent residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.3% to 1.6% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.7%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 1.0% in 2001 to 1.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Brent remained close to 1.6%

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Brent by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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